Byzantine Battles: Battle of Cannae

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Battle of Cannae	year: 1018 October 1018
A Byzantine victory in a first clash with a gang of Normans	★ ★ ★ ★ ★

enemy: Normans, Lombards	location: Cannae in Apulia in southeast Italy	accuracy: ●●●●●
battle type: Pitched battle	war: Norman Conquest of Southern Italy	modern country: Italy

	▼ The Byzantines(emperor: Basil II Bulgaroktonos)	▼ The Enemies
Commander:	Catapan Basil Boioannes	Melus & Gilbert Buatère
Forces:	Unknown	250 Normans+unknown number of Lombards
Losses:		only 10 Norman knights survived

Background story:

When the Norman noble, Osmond Drengot, was exiled by Duke Richard II of Normandy for the murder of one of his relatives, Osmond, and his 4 brothers (including Gilbert Buatère and Rainulf Drengot) went on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Michael, at Monte Sant-Angelo sul Gargano in the Byzantine Catepanate of Italy.
In 1016, this Norman band was recruited by the Lombard noble Melus (or Melo) of Bari, who had rebelled against his Byzantine overlords but who was currently on the run. Melus assured the Norman adventurers of the ease of victory and the abundance of spoils.
In1017, the Normans were heading south. They joined with the Lombard forces under Melus at Capua and marched into Apulia, trying to catch the Byzantines off-guard. Successful in 5 successive encounters against forces sent by the catepan Kontoleon Tornikios, they had seized all the territory between the Fortore and Trani by September and were ravaging Apulia. The Norman leader in this phase was Gilbert Buatère.

The Battle:

Norman knights

The new Greek catepan, Basil Boioannes, had gathered a force of reserves and a contingent of the famed Varangian Guard sent by Emperor Basil II. He met the Norman and Lombard raiders on the Ofanto river, at the site of the Romans’ defeat by Hannibal in 216 BC: Cannae.
This second battle of Cannae was disastrous for the “Franks”, who were routed.
Melus of Bari managed to escape to the Papal States and eventually to the court of Holy Roman Emperor Henry II. The Normans lost their leader, Gilbert Buatère, and most of their group. Only 10 Norman knights survived. Among them was Rainulf (eventually Count of Aversa).

Aftermath:

With this victory and a number of other successes, Boioannes strengthened and stabilized the Byzantine Duchy of Italy for a few decades.
But the Normans came to stay. They were also used as mercenaries by the Byzantines. In 1040, Normans and Lombards, in collaboration with Melus’ son, Argyros, revolted again and conquered most of Puglia.

Byzantine Battles

Battle of Cannae

1018